JSE closed higher on Friday

The Jamaica Stock Exchange closed with the Main Indices picking up gains on Friday as stock prices continued wide swings and leaving declining stocks with the upper hand at the close.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index gained 869.32 points to close at 456,961.96, the JSE Market Index picked up 786.82 points to end at 416,267.28 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.51 points to 114.27.
The market closed with 46 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with the prices of 15 advancing, 22 declining and nine trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 43 securities accounting for 34,017,777 units valued at $260,298,044 in contrast to 27,349,052 units valued at $173,569,533 from 38 securities on Thursday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 26.7 million shares for 78.5 percent of total volume, followed by Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.1 million shares for 3.3 percent of total volume and NCB Financial with 728,772 shares for 2.1 percent of the day’s trades.
The Market closed with an average of 791,111 units valued at an average of $6,053,443 for each security traded, in contrast to 719,712 units valued at an average of $4,567,619 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 774,392 units valued at $4,906,404 for each security changing hands compared to 772,634 units valued at $4,772,738 for each security traded. Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 16.1, while the Main Market ended at 15 times 2019 earnings.
In the prime market, Barita Investments closed $1.38 lower to end at $56.52, with 39,716 shares changing hands, Berger Paints added $2 trading 48,186 shares and settled at $14, Caribbean Cement lost 99 cents to close at $54, in exchanging 43,505 shares. Eppley closed at $13.50, with a loss of 50 cents in transferring 500 units, First Rock declined by $2 to $10.02, in swapping 27,789 shares, Jamaica Broilers jumped $4 to and finished at $31, trading 220,193 shares. Jamaica Producers shed 50 cents to close at $20, with an exchange of 96,263 shares, JMMB Group ended 50 cents higher at $38, in trading 413,291 shares, NCB Financial sustained a loss of $7 to close at $168 after 728,772 shares crossed through the market. 138 Student Living shed 70 cents to end at $6, in swapping 552 units, PanJam Investment advanced by $5 to $85, in trading 109,284 shares. Portland JSX exchanged 2,368 units at $8.26, after rising 75 cents. Proven Investments declined by 99 cents to $40, with 6,954 units changing hands, Pulse Investments closed 53 cents higher to $2.90 after trading 631,989 units, Sagicor Group shed $3.99 to close at $53.01, in transferring 464,400 shares. Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 99 cents higher to $7, in swapping 15,219 shares, Scotia Group lost $2 to end at $48, after trading 185,085 shares, Seprod dropped $3.48 to $41.02, in exchanging 278,094 shares. Supreme Ventures closed at $18, with a loss of 50 cents in transferring 96,637 shares and Wisynco Group declined $1.99 to $18 after trading 373,673 shares.
Trading in the US dollar market ended with 36,835 units valued at over US$4,685. The market gained 1.77 points to close at 210.85. Proven traded 8,800 units at 28 US cents, Sterling exchanged 16,735 shares at 2.10 US cents and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 0.9 cents to end at 15 US cents, in transferring 11,300 units.